Portable thermoelectric adaptive environment system with intelligent power management

Abstract

A portable thermoelectric adaptive environment device is disclosed. The device includes a vessel for holding temperature sensitive goods, a thermoelectric heat pump in thermal contact with the vessel, a housing, and a temperature control system communicatively coupled to the thermoelectric heat pump and a battery. The temperature control system includes a microcontroller and a plurality of sensors configured to monitor an internal temperature and an ambient temperature. The microcontroller is configured to maintain the vessel at a target temperature by requesting a voltage and a current from the battery with a request made using a two-way communication protocol and powering the heat pump at the voltage and the current provided in response to the request. The microcontroller may be communicatively coupled to the battery through at least one trigger configured to communicate with the battery using the two-way communication protocol.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A portable thermoelectric adaptive environment device comprising:
 a vessel for holding temperature sensitive goods; 
 a thermoelectric heat pump in thermal contact with the vessel; 
 a temperature control system communicatively coupled to the thermoelectric heat pump and a battery, the temperature control system comprising a microcontroller and a plurality of sensors configured to monitor at least an internal temperature of the vessel and an ambient temperature proximate the portable thermoelectric adaptive environment device, the microcontroller communicatively coupled to the battery through at least one trigger configured to communicate with the battery using a two-way communication protocol, the microcontroller configured to maintain the vessel at a target temperature by instructing a trigger of the at least one trigger to request a voltage and a current from the battery through a request made using the two-way communication protocol and powering the thermoelectric heat pump at the voltage and the current provided by the battery in response to the request; and 
 a housing enclosing the vessel, the thermoelectric heat pump, the battery, and the temperature control system. 
 
     
     
       2. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one trigger comprises a plurality of static triggers, each static trigger of the plurality of static triggers configured to request a predefined voltage and a predefined current from the battery using the two-way communication protocol, the request being made in response to an instruction received by the static trigger from the microcontroller. 
     
     
       3. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one trigger comprises a dynamic trigger configured to request a configurable voltage and a configurable current from the battery using the two-way communication protocol, the request being made in response to an instruction received by the dynamic trigger from the microcontroller indicating the configurable voltage and the configurable current to be requested, the configurable voltage chosen by the microcontroller from a range of voltages, the configurable current chosen by the microcontroller from a range of currents. 
     
     
       4. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one trigger is integral with the temperature control system. 
     
     
       5. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one trigger is one trigger. 
     
     
       6. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the device further comprises a power interface configured to couple the temperature control system with an external power source. 
     
     
       7. The device of  claim 6 , wherein the temperature control system is further configured to instruct the battery to receive power using the two-way communication protocol and then to charge the battery while also powering the thermoelectric heat pump at the current and the voltage to maintain the vessel at the target temperature while the power interface is coupled to the external power source. 
     
     
       8. A portable thermoelectric adaptive environment device comprising:
 a vessel for holding temperature sensitive goods; 
 a thermoelectric heat pump in thermal contact with the vessel; 
 a temperature control system communicatively coupled to the thermoelectric heat pump and a battery, the temperature control system comprising a microcontroller and a plurality of sensors configured to monitor at least an internal temperature of the vessel and an ambient temperature proximate the portable thermoelectric adaptive environment device, the microcontroller configured to maintain the vessel at a target temperature by requesting a voltage and a current from the battery with a request made using a two-way communication protocol and powering the thermoelectric heat pump at the voltage and the current provided by the battery in response to the request; and 
 a housing enclosing the vessel, the thermoelectric heat pump, and the temperature control system. 
 
     
     
       9. The device of  claim 8 , wherein the battery is inside the housing. 
     
     
       10. The device of  claim 9 , wherein the battery is removable. 
     
     
       11. The device of  claim 8 , wherein the thermoelectric heat pump is also communicatively coupled to the battery directly, such that the thermoelectric heat pump is powered directly by the battery at the voltage and the current, bypassing the temperature control system. 
     
     
       12. The device of  claim 8 , wherein the microcontroller is communicatively coupled to the battery through at least one trigger configured to communicate with the battery using the two-way communication protocol. 
     
     
       13. The device of  claim 12 , wherein the at least one trigger comprises a plurality of static triggers, each static trigger of the plurality of static triggers configured to request a predefined voltage and a predefined current from the battery using the two-way communication protocol, the request being made in response to an instruction received by the static trigger from the microcontroller. 
     
     
       14. The device of  claim 12 , wherein the at least one trigger comprises a dynamic trigger configured to request a configurable voltage and a configurable current from the battery using the two-way communication protocol, the request being made in response to an instruction received by the dynamic trigger from the microcontroller indicating the configurable voltage and the configurable current to be requested, the configurable voltage chosen by the microcontroller from a range of voltages, the configurable current chosen by the microcontroller from a range of currents. 
     
     
       15. The device of  claim 12 , wherein the at least one trigger is integral with the temperature control system. 
     
     
       16. The device of  claim 8 , wherein the two-way communication protocol is the USB Power Delivery (USB-PD) protocol. 
     
     
       17. The device of  claim 8 , wherein the two-way communication protocol is the USB Power Delivery Programmable Power Supply protocol. 
     
     
       18. The device of  claim 8 , wherein the device further comprises a power interface configured to couple the temperature control system with an external power source. 
     
     
       19. The device of  claim 18 , wherein the temperature control system is further configured to instruct the battery to receive power using the two-way communication protocol and then to charge the battery while also powering the thermoelectric heat pump at the current and the voltage to maintain the vessel at the target temperature while the power interface is coupled to the external power source. 
     
     
       20. The device of  claim 18 , wherein the power interface comprises a cable communicatively coupled to the temperature control system and extending outside the housing, and wherein the battery is inside the housing and communicatively coupled to a port configured to receive and releasably couple to the cable such that the battery is communicatively coupled to the temperature control system through the cable.